The Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED), led by Director, Dr Xena Cupido, successfully hosted the 12th Annual Research Innovation in Teaching and Learning (RITAL) Conference at the Cape Town Hotel School.

This event emerged as a vital platform for educators and researchers to share insights and propel the advancement of teaching practices. Dr Najwa Norodien-Fataar, the Research Coordinator at Fundani CHED and chair of the RITAL committee, announced that the conference was supported by the University Capacity Development Grant (UCDG).

“The RITAL Conference was a resounding success, featuring an impressive 36 presentations. This year, academics from the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and the University of Cape Town (UCT) actively contributed papers, significantly increasing conference registrations. The rise in postgraduate student participation provided an invaluable opportunity for CPUT's postgraduate students to showcase their research,” Norodien-Fataar stated.

The conference was structured around the theme: Innovative Pedagogies: Embracing Diversity and Technology for Student Success. Sessions tackled crucial topics such as Digital Literacy, Technological Integration, Language and Learning, Equity, Decolonization and Social Justice, Teacher Training and Professional Development, and Student Success and Retention. Keynote speaker Prof Joanne Hardman, a psychologist at the UCT School of Education and Deputy Director, delivered an impactful message on the necessity of cultivating meaningful pedagogy that encourages students to engage in metacognitive thinking about their acquired knowledge. “We must seriously reconsider our teaching model to ensure it acknowledges the socially embedded nature of teaching. Children do not leave their lives at the door; they bring their experiences with them,” Hardman asserted.

Hardman presented a compelling dialectical model of pedagogy that confronts the challenge of developing effective teaching approaches to foster metacognitive thinking and successful learning outcomes. Drawing on Marxian psychology, she highlighted how social beings shape consciousness, emphasizing that learning progresses from external (inter-psychological) interactions to internalized (intra-psychological) understanding. “This model integrates the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), where language mediates learning and is guided by a culturally competent individual, transitioning from abstract to concrete knowledge. Inspired by Hedegaard’s Radical-Local Pedagogy, we must connect general concepts with meaningful, situational problems to effectively engage students,” Hardman observed.

She emphasised that the model effectively fosters interactive learning and enhances critical reasoning through exploratory talk, highlighting the significance of this pedagogical approach for meaningful and collaborative experiences.

Norodien-Fataar further announced that Paradigms is moving forward with its application for accreditation with the Department of Higher Education and Training. This accreditation is contingent upon the journal's consistent publication for three consecutive years without interruption. “Achieving this significant milestone depends on the unwavering support and participation of our academic community,” she emphasised.

To ensure success, Norodien-Fataar called on the researchers, comprising over 70 academics from CPUT and UWC, to actively support this initiative by submitting their research articles to Paradigms. She reinforced that this journal is a peer-reviewed platform, guaranteeing that all contributions are meticulously evaluated for quality and academic integrity. “Additionally, Paradigms benefits from the insights of a professional editor, ensuring that your work is presented in the best possible manner,” she concluded.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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The Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) recently hosted the annual Research Innovation in Teaching and Learning Conference (RITAL) to discuss and debate teaching, learning, curriculum and assessment issues related to higher education.

The one-day conference funded by the University Capacity Development Grant (UCDG), was themed: Beyond the Pandemic: Rethinking and Revitalising our Pedagogical Practices in Higher Education Institutions was held on the Granger Bay Campus.

The RITAL conference brought together academics across the disciplines who are interested in discussing teaching, learning, curriculum and pedagogical practices beyond the COVID-19 pandemic at CPUT.

The Research Coordinator at Fundani, Dr Najwa Norodien-Fataar, who chaired the conference, said their aim was to enable academics to rethink and revitalise their roles as lecturers beyond the pandemic. Academics who were recipients of the Research Innovation Fund in Teaching and Learning (RIFTAL) also presented their research findings to the CPUT academic community. Approximately 60 academics attended the conference and participated in debates on various teaching, learning, curriculum and assessment matters. The conference attracted academics from the Faculty of Applied Sciences, the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment and the Faculty of Education.

“A key concern for all academics is to use technology meaningfully by placing pedagogy at the centre of student learning. Several presentations focused on pedagogy as central to productive learning at universities. A crucial aspect of pedagogy is to ensure that students engage with knowledge in a dialogical manner between lecturers and students and between students and students,” Norodien-Fataar observed.

The Director of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at the Durban University of Technology, Prof Mncedisi Maphalala, delivered a keynote address which was titled: Re-imagining Higher Education online learning environments Post Covid-19 and beyond: A self-directed learning Perspective.

Teaching Excellence Award winner Dr Sweta Patnaik, from the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, also provided a presentation and focused on how she consistently sought feedback from students regarding their understanding of the subjects she teaches. Patnaik emphasised that she always looked for innovative ways to ensure students learn effectively.

“A crucial message of the conference was to emphasise pedagogy as central to student learning. Several presentations focused on the relationship between pedagogy and technology-enhanced learning and how to ensure access to knowledge through our mixed, blended, and contact delivery modes,” Norodien-Fataar observed.

One of the presenters, Prof Jessy van Wyk, Head of the Department: Food Science and Technology, said the conference was “an enormous success, in my opinion”. “What really impressed me was the amount as well as the scope of the work done by so many staff at CPUT around delivering quality and student-centred Learning, Teaching and Assessment (LTA) to our students. The scope covers a healthy mix of one, research based on tried-and-tested methods (e.g., the Socratic method) as well as new theories and methods (with a particular focus on the digital space) and two, implementing those methodologies in the classroom and laboratories and evaluating the impact towards continuous improvement.”

In her presentation, Van Wyk stated that her department was able to develop new curricula aimed at producing graduates that are job-ready, practitioners capable of complex practice such as enhanced graduate employability. “Successfully developing and delivering these curricula are facilitated by the depth of experience in the department, as well as input from our wide network of partnerships, with industry, local and international universities.”

Click the RITAL blog link for more information: https://blogs.cput.ac.za/rital/

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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The Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) recently launched the Institution’s Science, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) Club at the Bellville campus.

Mathematics Support Lead and STEM Coordinator, Dr Frikkie George, said the purpose of the establishment of the STEM Club was to contribute to the two dimensions of CPUT’s V2030 – Oneness: creating a community of STEM students with Ubuntu principles, and Smartness: advancing the conceptions of technology.

STEM Club Chairperson Sarah Tshabangu said the purpose of the club was to magnify the Maths and science experiences of the students and to support them by bringing together all the STEM students and providing them with learning spaces such as boot camps.

Her deputy, Mano Tshebeletso, said their aim was to improve the quality of education through involvement in learning spaces, research projects, as well as competitions. “And also [to] invite fields professionals that are STEM related for discussions to promote general awareness and encourage networking. Furthermore, we shall interact, engage, and cooperate with other student support structures at CPUT,” Mano remarked. Fundani CHED University Capacity Development Grant Project Team member, David Haarhoff, said the student support for student success is the key focus of the Fundani CHED at CPUT. Haarhoff said the Student Learning Unit (SLU) located in Fundani CHED houses the STEM Sector, providing Mathematics and Science support for students in different departments at CPUT. The Fundani CHED STEM Club was established in April 2022 to assist with STEM support and to meet one of the imperatives of the UCDG STEM Research Project at CPUT.  “The vision and mission of the STEM Club is to build an inclusive STEM student community, fostering affinity for STEM disciplines, and lowering the STEM attrition rate – especially among students from disadvantaged background,” he said.

George said the launch signals the creation of a safe, fun and brave space for students to express themselves and improve the development of their critical thinking skills of the science and maths concepts they learn in lectures.

The launch included beautiful renditions by the CPUT choir, scientific demonstrations by the students, input from academics from University of the Western Cape, CPUT as well as the Cape Town Science Centre.

“I’m ecstatic with the positive feedback and happy that the day was successful. In terms of our broader goal, this has been a stepping stone in respect of dispelling the notion or stigma attached to STEM subjects. All external partners and internal partners are on board in helping us achieve our goal,” enthused Haarhoff.

Speaking at the event, Fundani CHED Director, Dr Xena Cupido, highlighted the importance of working towards CPUT’s Vision 2030 and STEM pedagogies supporting student success. Cupido’s address also focused on the following topics:

• Move away from student deficit approach
• Toward dialogic approach which engages students and academics in the stem sector
• Processes of co-creating curriculum can be seen as a way of promoting democratic values in higher education
• Drawing upon a democratic approach
• Emphasise that learning is closely connected to the participation, subjectification, and negotiation of meanings.
• Focus on the transference of power, authority and voice to the students in a decolonising university space - working in partnership.

“Student needs access to high-quality STEM learning experiences that affirm their identities as important members of the STEM community who are working to make the world a better place,” said Cupido.

George said the STEM Club will play a very important role in the eventual establishment of STEM Centres at the various campuses of CPUT.  He added that the launch will make the CPUT community aware of the existence of the STEM Club and the opportunity to establish partnerships and networks with external partners.

Haarhoff added that they managed to forge partnerships with stakeholders who committed to “ensuring that they are on board in terms of supporting us to ensure that our goal is achieved”. “This has opened many doors for the STEM Club, and we look forward to working together.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Today, the global community is celebrating the International Day of Sign Languages in order to raise awareness of the importance of sign language in the full realisation of the human rights of people who are Deaf.

The theme for 2022 is: “Sign Language Unites Us”

The International Day of Sign Languages is celebrated on 23 September by the United Nations since the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) was founded on this day in 1951. September is also the International Month for Deaf People.

In joining the commemoration, The Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) and the Disability Unit (DU) warmly welcomed President Ramaphosa’s announcement regarding South African Sign Language (SASL) becoming the country’s 12th official language earlier in the year.

The two units pledge to continue their joint efforts in advocating for the institutionalisation of SASL (South African Sign Language) at CPUT so that registered as well as potential students with varying degrees of hearing loss may benefit from this. Dr Amanda Ismail, the Head of Department at the Disability Unit, noted that “The Deaf Community at large advocated and lobbied for a very long time for SASL to be recognised as an official language. This will certainly have great advantages for them, including greater accessibility and inclusivity to important opportunities, services and resources.”

Ismail explained that CPUT’s Disability Unit is a multi-functional support service point that strives to implement an accessible and welcoming learning environment for students with disabilities. The unit has a resource centre with assistive devices, software, and equipment for students with disabilities. It also has a real time language capturer that assist students with varying degrees of hearing loss.

Fundani CHED’s Director Dr Xena Cupido believes that including sign language as an official language in learning and teaching will pay attention to those often marginalised and “move us toward equity of access.”

“Once again, we are delighted by this new development and will actively engage faculties and departments to expand on the linguistic repertoire through the inclusion of sign language in multilingual projects,” Cupido adds.

Lisa Abrahams, a deaf student, highlights the challenges she faced with the COVID-19 outbreak and government’s regulations at the time. “My experiences as a deaf student at CPUT is that l found it difficult having classes on my laptop when COVID- 19 began because when I had classes it was difficult to understand my lecturer when s/he spoke.” Lisa also indicated that she was also elated with the news of South African Sign Language becoming the 12th official language as it will certainly assist students with varying degrees of hearing loss to reach their full academic potential.

WATCH THE LINK: Vice-chancellor, Prof Chris Nhlapo and Dr Amanda Ismail, the Head of Department at the Disability Unit raising awareness of the importance of sign language.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Aligned to the International Womxn’s Day theme of “Gender Equality today for a sustainable tomorrow” and continuing with the African tradition of art and storytelling, the Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED) recently hosted a workshop to celebrate CPUT womxn’s voices and experiences.

Fundani CHED Director, Dr Xena Cupido, says they were deliberate in the use of the noun, plural wom·xn [wim-in]. a woman (used, especially in intersectional feminism, as an alternative spelling to avoid the suggestion of sexism perceived in the sequences m-a-n and m-e-n, and to be inclusive of trans and nonbinary women).

Womxn within CPUT were invited to share their lived experiences, intergenerational stories, challenges, highlights and influence under the following topics:  Womxn in Poverty; Education; Health; Violence; Power and Decision Making; The Environment; Girl Child.

The workshop which was held at Bellville Campus was facilitated by Janine Lange, a feminist indigenous storyteller, interdisciplinary artist and researcher. As a kundalini yoga instructor and narrative practitioner, she works with embodied practices to facilitate the focalising of peripheral stories to promote engagement, acceptance and collaboration rather than tolerance in institutional practice and the artmaking/ research process. She currently serves as an associate lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and is a PhD fellow in the New Imaginaries project for sexual and gender justice based in the Women’s and Gender Studies department at UWC.

The two-day programme journeyed with participants through the development of a tree of life. “Tree of Life” exercise was used as a metaphor to assist in storytelling based on one's life. Using arts-based pedagogies, participants captured the experience through drawing,” says Cupido. During the second day the participants were taken through a process to develop their stories, poem, narrative and or art piece.

The workshop was open to all womxn at CPUT, students and staff members. The womxn engaged in the workshop both face to face and online.  It created a moment in time, away from the everyday business to take time to “exhale”.

“It is important to create spaces within our environment where we acknowledge the rich diversity, backgrounds, strengths and wisdom in the institution.  We can learn from each other in surprising and unexpected ways when we share our individual and collective experiences. Faculties and departments are encouraged to host such events not just during womxn's month, but throughout the year,” Cupido remarks.

She added that cultural understanding emerged from the workshop, “but more so that our experiences are more similar than different, we are able to bring ourselves into a space through imagination and creativity.  As we shared our stories, trust, empathy and feelings of community unfolded. We felt a sense of Oneness”.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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The Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development’s (CHED) STEM Club magnificently hosted the National Science Week (NSW) event recently.

The purpose of the hybrid event with about 35 attendees, 15 online was to celebrate the Science, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) sector across the University community as this was for the National Science Week. The theme was: Celebrating the role of basic sciences in the modern world. The aim was also to create more awareness in terms of the STEM sector and services offered to students and “how best we could possibly assist students in achieving their goals”.

STEM Coordinator, Dr Frikkie George, said there was a great need to host such events to collaborate, network and encourage students. “The latter is required considering the subject matter of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths”. There was a great turnout of students, an excitement that one cannot express as well as a hunger for assistance in those particular subjects.

“The event was successful; indeed, it is a pity that only a limited number of students could attend due to COVID-19 restrictions. The students were very excited, and the presentations of the guest speakers, Fundani CHED Director, Dr Xena Cupido and Department of Chemistry Lecturer, Dr Elise De Vries, addressed contemporary issues in the STEM field. The organisation and the activities developed smoothly,” added George.

The STEM Club was established in April 2022 and this was its second event. George confirmed that besides celebrating the National Science Week “we aimed to expose the STEM Club to the CPUT community”.  He said the feedback after the event was very positive and gives them the opportunity to spread their footprint at the other CPUT campuses.

For this event, the CPUT STEM Club conducted science-based activities, and focused on the role and value of Science, Technology and Mathematics in celebration of this year’s National Science Week. Students had the opportunity to display various science experiments, engagement from the floor in terms of discussions as well as the panel discussion, discussions from both lecturers as well as students reflecting the importance of the STEM sector at the University.

“The eye-catching and exciting science demonstrations enthralled the imagination of everyone who attended,” George observed.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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In a showcase of academic dedication, CPUT has proudly announced that two academics have been selected for the prestigious Teaching Advancement at Universities (TAU) 5 programme.

The Fundani Centre for Higher Education Development’s (CHED), Dr Xena Cupido, said the prestigious fellowship programme, aimed at fostering excellence in learning and teaching across South African universities, has welcomed Dr Sanet Cox and Dr Bronwyn Swartz into its ranks, marking a significant milestone for CPUT.

Swartz feels “very grateful to be supported” and said she heard about TAU from a previous colleague, who told her that “it was an incredibly supportive programme for academics aspiring to improve their Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SoLT) capabilities”.

“I am hoping that I will be able to make an impact. The structure of the TAU includes doing two projects. I have just started three projects, two of which I will take advantage of being part of TAU to make progress or complete. I am very excited about this.”

Cox is “excited” about the nomination and acceptance into the programme and has been “overwhelmed by the kind responses that I have received from colleagues”. “I feel very honoured to be a part of this prestigious programme and look forward to participation, and to learning from experts.”

She continued: “Not only is it the next logical step in my academic career, but it also provides me with the opportunity of becoming a change agent in my working environment. I have been involved in lecturing and student support activities for many years and I am eager to engage in research regarding student support that may bring about sustainable change in the future of my department, in our faculty, and in the education system.” As a lecturer in the Education Faculty, she is aware that primarily she teaches university students on an academic level, while on a secondary level she models teaching to pre-service teachers, who need to go into the world and apply skills that they have been taught.

Cupido said the TAU Fellowships Programme is designed to nurture a new generation of senior academics, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to act as scholars, leaders, and agents of change within their respective disciplines. “By focusing on inter-institutional collaboration and promoting social justice in education, the programme seeks to enhance the quality and impact of learning and teaching in South Africa's public universities.

Cox and Swartz’s acceptance into the TAU 5 cohort underscores CPUT's commitment to academic excellence and its role in shaping the future of higher education in the country.” The programme spans 19 months and includes a series of block-week contact sessions, individual projects tailored to each participant's learning and teaching environment, collaborative group projects, and reflective reports. This comprehensive approach ensures that fellows not only contribute to their institutions but also to the broader academic community, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

Cupido added that the CPUT's participation in the TAU Fellowships Programme has been notable, with 10 TAU fellows, having completed the programme to date. “This achievement reflects the university's dedication to advancing the pedagogical skills of its faculty and its commitment to contributing positively to the higher education landscape in South Africa.

Swartz said: “I will have to do an individual project tailored to our learning and teaching environment. I will also be expected to take part in collaborative group projects and write reflective reports.”

Cox’ research interest for TAU will focus on the “impact of our support programme (FYE specific) on our students, their success, and the retention rate”. Cupido said: “The university extends its heartfelt congratulations to doctors, Cox and Swartz on this remarkable achievement.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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